


The Abandoned Tea Shop

by wishterias



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Drinking to Cope, During Canon, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:02:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29832966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wishterias/pseuds/wishterias
Summary: When your family's tea shop goes bankrupt, you decide to join the training corps in hopes of bringing status and money to help your family stay afloat. With a strong resolve to provide a better life for the people you love, you delve into the harsh training where you meet humanity's strongest soldier-Captain Levi Ackerman. As you slowly start to develop feelings for him, you become increasingly aware of others who are infatuated with him, and those who have earned a place in his heart.Adventuring alongside your comrades, you slowly become strong enough to fend for yourself outside the walls and develop close relationships with them. Your tenacity and grit leads to Levi's acceptance of your strength and forms an emotional bond built on trust-trust that you will not end up as another person that will leave him alone in this world.
Relationships: Levi Ackerman & Original Female Character(s), Levi Ackerman & Reader
Kudos: 4





	1. To Leave Behind

**Author's Note:**

> This story follows the original plot closely, and includes spoilers for the first 3 seasons of the anime up until the return to Shiganshina arc as well as spoilers for the Levi Ackerman origin/side story. Y/N is very much depicted as an ordinary person. The romance will be built on relationship rather than immediate physical attraction.

As you plucked at the various herbs and flowers in the garden, the dew that had settled on the leaves in the morning stuck to your fingers. You shake the plant stalks off of your fingers and into your basket as you breathe in the morning air. Despite being outside, the air still did not feel fresh. Being surrounded by the walls, smells of your neighbors, the stables, and the smoke never seemed to escape. Although things improved after a torrential downpour or after exceptionally windy days, you could only guess how different everything would feel outside of the walls. Even if escaping the confines of the walls were impossible, being able to look out from the tops of the walls had always been a dream of yours. The lower the elevation, the more the sickly scents seemed to pile. Here in Shiganshina, where you gathered materials for your family’s tea shop, the air settled into its default smell of cinders and dirt.

“Y/N!! I told you to get ready! I want you to relax before you have to leave!” Mother jogs over and takes the basket, nudging you back towards your room.  
“I already got everything ready last night, you don’t need to worry. This is the last thing I can do for you before I go…” you protest, but she gives you a look of disappointment. It isn’t disappointment in you, it’s the guilt and shame she feels for not being able to properly provide for the family, eventually leading to you enlisting in the training corps and leaving. She had already expressed to you that the family would find a way to make it through, but the tea shop was going bankrupt and the debt collectors were threatening to chase us into the underground. Especially with a newborn on the way, father’s new job wasn’t making enough to keep us afloat. 

You let out a sigh and surrender your basket to your mother, turning around and making your way back to the house. Your plan was to join the training corps and hopefully make it into the military police. If you could earn enough to send some money to your family every month, they could live comfortably and keep the tea shop. As you walk past the kitchen, you see a steaming cup of tea and bread with honey spread over it. The sight of the last cup of your mother’s tea before you leave and the scarce and expensive honey brings tears to your eyes. Your mother had always put you first before everything, and it was finally your turn to pay it back. Pressing your sleeve into your eyes to dry them, you sit down and scarf down the breakfast. 

Your anxiety creates a pit in your stomach and images begin to flash in your mind. Your overworked father, always nursing the new injuries brought upon him due to his strict labor intensive job. Mother tending to the shop and its customers with a baby bump getting bigger by the month. You let your thoughts wander aimlessly as you go through the motions of cleaning the dishes and preparing your bags before you depart. A soft knock at the door causes your heart to sink. Your mother leans against the door slightly with a calm smile. 

“It’s time honey.”  
“I know, I’m ready to go.” you mumble. Your voice catches in your throat, only letting out a barely audible whisper.

You lift your bag over your shoulder, and walk outside with your mother. She insists on walking with you to the river where the boats await to take you deeper within the boundaries of Wall Maria. Your heart pounds in your chest violently, but you can’t seem to figure out why. Is it the fear of possibly seeing titans? No, if all goes well, you would be even safer in the military police, and would never have to see one in your lifetime. Are you afraid of the inevitably harsh training? 

“Y/N, I want you to come back if anything ever happens okay?”

Your mother’s voice snaps you out of the dreadfully dark place your mind had begun to venture into and you finally figure out the heaviness you feel in your chest. Not only do you expect to be homesick, your mother who has been your safe space your entire life was now letting go of you, out into a world full of strangers and soldiers who seemed to only have steely dispositions. 

“I’m not sure it works that way mom” you say through a half smile.  
“I understand...but you don’t need to force yourself to stay in the corps. You can leave--”  
“It won’t be bad. I can join the military police, and I’ll be safe. Don’t worry about me!”  
“You can’t tell a mother not to worry about her child.”

The area starts to get crowded as you get closer to the river. Numerous goodbyes are being exchanged around you and you slowly turn to your mother. For a moment you see her fighting back the tears in her eyes and consider throwing out your plan. But there are no alternative solutions to the problem your family faces. 

“I’ll miss you mom. I’ll be back to visit in no time.”

With that, you exchange your goodbyes, hugging her tightly and trying to memorize everything about this moment. You adopt the steely demeanor you had seen other soldiers carry themselves with when they pass through the town occasionally and strengthen your resolve to get on the ship and leave for training. After letting go, you board the ship and are quickly pushed away from the edge by others who lean against it and wave to their families. You peer over the people who stand in front of you and watch as the boat pulls away from the dock, leaving your mother behind. The last you see of her is her worried expression as her eyes dart around the boat, trying to find you. Your vision is eventually obscured by a tunnel, and when the boat emerges from it, you see the other side of Wall Maria.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for checking out my first fanfic! I know this is severely lacking in Levi at this point, but I wanted to clearly establish character background and have enough set up for a worthwhile story. Next chapter will be the first meeting with our beloved Captain


	2. Change of Plans

The sudden sunlight blinds you as you squint, looking out towards the city around the Trost district. As the boat continues to make its way farther into the center of what was called the “human field,” sweat begins to bead on your skin. Emotions on the ship seemed to consist mostly of feigned bravery and swagger. Their hearty laughs and booming voices travelled far. Things had been peaceful for hundreds of years, so it was no surprise that most on this ship underestimated the training they were about to be subjected to, as well as the horrors outside the walls. 

You lowered yourself onto one of the open seats, and rested your eyes for a few seconds. Memories about the outside walls started to flood into and take over your thoughts. You aren’t quite sure when, but you distinctly remember hanging around the entrance to the Shiganshina district where the survey corps often set off and returned from their expeditions. As the gates were lifted by the wall guards, you would peer out into the open world. Most of the time, all that could be seen were grassy plains with a few trees sprouting out here and there, but there was one horrifying moment where you saw the survey scouts furiously retreating back into the walls with a large titan giving chase. There was an adequate amount of distance between the squad and the titan, so the gates were closed before the titan could get close, but the sheer size, the emptiness in their eyes, and the abnormal way they moved gave you nightmares even to this day. 

What was worse was the expression you would see on the survey scouts’ faces after returning from an expedition. Horses pulled carts that were stacked with dead bodies and those who were alive were almost always helping others who were severely injured. Your mind flashes back to a specific scout you had seen, drenched in muddy water and blood. He was fairly short. Shorter than you, even. His head hung low and his hair covered much of his face, but when you saw his cold gray eyes, it was evident that he had lost something outside of those walls. 

The ship lurches to a stop and you are immediately brought back to reality.   
“Trost District! All recruits get off and walk the rest of the way to the camp!”

As you get up and pick up your bag, you notice your hand shaking, ever so slightly. Glancing around you, the others seem to have quieted down a bit compared to before. The nerves start settling in. Almost everybody here is striving to make it into the military police. As much as they are comrades, they are also rivals who could take your position. You walk at a brisk pace, following the wall guard’s rose symbol plastered on the backs of their tan jackets. Taking deep breaths with every step, you clear your mind and try to calm yourself down. 

When you arrive at the training headquarters, you are ushered into the sleeping quarters where rows of bunk beds are set up a few feet apart from each other. The room smells as if nobody had cracked open a window in decades. You reluctantly set your bag down next to one of the beds and sit down on it, rubbing the rough sheet between your fingers. 

“Hi! Can I take the top bunk?”   
A short girl with a reddish hazelnut bob leans toward you slightly while pointing to the bed directly above yours. You give a nod and move away from the ladder to try and give her some space, but she simply throws her bag over and continues talking to you.

“My name’s Petra! I just got here in the last boat. Man am I nervous. What’s your name?”  
“Oh I’m Y/N. I think I was on that same boat.”  
After a brief awkward pause, you start to rummage through your bag as a distraction. When you peek back up at where Petra was, you see that she’s staring out of the window and at a raven haired man with a wing insignia signifying a survey corp jacket. As if sensing eyes on him, he looks over his shoulder and flashes his distinctive gray eyes. Petra quickly looks back towards you, her cheeks taking on a rosy tint. 

“Wow Captain Levi is really handsome in person” she mutters, turning her back to him completely.   
“You know him?” you ask, curious about just how popular this guy is.  
“Yeah, he’s humanity’s strongest soldier. I’m surprised you haven’t heard of him!”  
“I think I’ve seen him returning from expeditions, but I guess I’m just never around when people talk about him.”  
Petra nods, and peeks over her shoulder once again. Her shoulders slump when she realizes the Captain is nowhere in sight. “I’ve always dreamt of getting outside of these walls and experiencing true freedom.”  
“It must be nice. Does that mean you’re going to join the survey scouts?”  
“I’d like to.”  
“Aren’t you scared?”  
“Of the titans?...A little bit. But that’s why I’m here to train!” 

You see her eyes look up and glint in the dimly lit room. Her dedication to her dream is admirable, and you quickly think back to your own dreams of wanting to breathe the fresh air outside of the walls and to see what else the world has to offer. To see the sun disappear behind a mountain instead of behind the walls. Your thoughts are interrupted by a loud voice calling all trainees to the field outside for the first order of business. You dash outside along with Petra and take your place among the ranks who have already started to form lines. 

The next few hours were hell. They drilled the salute into you until your wrists felt like they would never bend the other way again, and many around you started to faint due to the heat. Commander Keith Shadis of the survey corp immediately began berating the new recruits after introducing himself. It seemed their goal was to rework everybody’s mental and physical fortitude altogether. After what felt like the entire day, you finally heard a voice call out from behind the formation.

“At ease.”

You immediately felt your shoulders fall forward in exhaustion and heard several thumps next to you as people dropped down onto the ground. When you look over, Petra’s face is pale and you immediately reach out towards her as her knees buckle. You catch her before her head hits the ground, and you immediately start looking around to find somebody who can help you. A shadow falls over the two of you, and you look up to see Levi standing over you with a canteen. 

His eyes settle on you first, causing a blush to creep up your neck and to your cheeks. He shifts his gaze over to Petra and kneels down next to you, handing you the canteen. You start to feel guilty as your fingers slightly brush past his surprisingly smooth knuckles. Petra is unconscious in your arms, and yet you are hyper aware of Levi's presence so close to you. A breeze blows towards you and you smell a clean soapy smell from his direction. You take the canteen from his hand and start to splash some of it onto her face. After a few splashes, she wakes up. Although disoriented, she immediately sees Levi and widens her eyes in panic. 

“We’re going to start training with ODM gear in the afternoon. Don’t miss it.” He gets up smoothly and turns away on his heel. As he’s walking away he pauses. “Don’t lock your knees while you’re at attention” he says as if throwing a bone to a dog over his shoulder.

You help Petra up to her feet and walk with her to the dining hall. She stares at the ground silently, her cheeks still red although you’re unsure whether it’s due to the heat or the situation with Levi. 

“Are you feeling better Petra?”  
“Yeah, just embarrassed. I want to show everybody that I’m strong...thank you for helping me by the way. Are you feeling okay?”  
“I am, but stamina is like the one thing I’m proud of. I’m kind of nervous about the ODM gear.”

As you make your way into the dining hall, you see the new recruits staring at the food on their trays hungrily, but also with a bit of disappointment. Food has been scarce recently, and even the military seems to be experiencing the same problem.

“So, Y/N, what branch did you plan on enlisting in?”  
“The same one as everybody here” you reply sheepishly. “I want to be able to support my family back home, and I feel like it’s just the most stable.”  
Petra chuckles. “My dad would have loved to have a daughter like you. He’s always so worried about me. He thinks joining the scouts is a death sentence.”  
“It is dangerous. I’ve only seen a titan once, but it still gives me nightmares.”  
“I want to be able to protect myself from them with my own power, outside these walls. I feel like I could get stronger, and if I get placed in Levi’s squad…” she starts to trail off. “I admire his strength. It seems like he has nothing to be scared of.”

Humanity’s strongest...you think to yourself. You agree with Petra. If it was possible to go outside the walls and be so confident in your own strength that you could actually enjoy what was out there, you absolutely would. Before you can give it any more thought, the recruits are called back outside for ODM gear training.

While stamina was your strong suit, balance and core strength were not. Trying to balance while using the ODM gear proved to be a challenge to you while Petra seemed to catch on quickly. Days and weeks passed with training, but you never seemed to get quite as good as she seemed to. Even with her help, your maneuvering skills remained average at best. Regardless of how much extra muscle training and individual practice you got with your ODM gear, you couldn’t seem to slice through the dummy titans like many of the other recruits were. 

On graduation day the top ten scouts who would be able to join the military police were announced. Petra was one of them, but she gave up her spot in order to join the survey corp as expected. Although it was evident that your skills did not match up with others, you had held onto the faint sliver of hope you had of joining the military police until that day. However, your name was not called, and with that you were given the choice of joining the scouting legion or the stationary guard. 

You stood next to Petra, looking at Commander Keith Shadis as he introduced his right hand man, Erwin Smith, and Captain Levi, who was recently promoted. The speech they gave was one of hope for the future of humanity. For the freedom that could be attained by venturing outside the walls and making sacrifices in order to improve everybody’s lifestyle. A part of you was excited for the opportunity to join the survey corps, but another was terrified. You had improved enough in combat training and vertical maneuvering to surpass the majority of the other recruits, but the death toll of the scouts was always insanely high. You looked up at Captain Levi, remembering what Petra had talked about on the first day of training. His expression was hard to read, but it had the same steely resolve that you had seen and admired in Petra. With your feet firmly planted on the ground, you salute and pledge your loyalty to the survey corp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a lot of explaining and setup this chapter, but next one will include a slight time skip and will include the first action-packed scenario. Probably will be updating in a week or less!


	3. Enter Levi's Squad

The sound of your comrades cleaning their maneuvering equipment and loading the wagons of supplies fills the room. You begin to go down the checklist of necessary items for the upcoming expedition and think back to a few years ago, when you first gave your heart to the scouting legion. At the time, you had expected to be put on Levi’s squad along with Petra, but with the appointment of Commander Erwin, the scouting formation and teams changed, leaving you in charge of the supplies team. Logically, it made sense. You were strong enough to make sure the supplies were safe, but not quite strong enough to be a part of the frontline teams in charge of taking down a majority of the titans. Even then, you had managed to rack up 10 solo titan kills and 23 assists. It was actually this milestone that allowed for your transfer into Levi’s squad. Although you were still in charge of making sure there were enough supplies specifically for his squad, you were hand picked by Levi to join him during this expedition.

You were flattered when he had called you into his office and asked you to join him on the next expedition. It was a sign of acceptance and it felt validating to be welcomed into the strongest squad. You would finally be in the same squad as Petra. She had been invited immediately after graduation and had been extremely successful, killing more than 30 titans on her own and quickly becoming one of Levi’s most trusted soldiers. There were many nights when you would go to the local tavern with her and listen to her stories about Levi’s flashy titan slaying. Her eyes would light up when she was talking about him, and you knew that her strength was in part due to her dedication towards him. As the night would pass and the alcohol would empty, she would begin to honestly talk about her feelings for him. Her stories gave you insight on what he was really like: A clean-freak, stoic, surprisingly talkative guy who was a bit sensitive about his own height. More than anything, she loved to talk about how much he cared about his team, though he’d never admit it. You were never able to tell whether this was a look at him through rose colored lenses or if it was all actually true. From what you saw, he seemed to only care about orders and ensuring everything went according to Erwin’s plans.

After checking off the last item, you hand your clipboard over to Dieter, who was next in line to be in charge of the supplies squad. He had been in the same group as you since graduation, but you’ve never had the chance to really talk to him. He was always with Ivan and you didn’t want to disturb them. 

“You’re joining Levi’s squad right?” Dieter asks. He looks at you, but his eyes quickly dart away.  
“Yeah, starting today.”  
“Good luck. I actually wanted you to...Could you keep an eye on Ivan? He’s going to be in Hange’s squad, right next to Levi’s in the new formation. He’s been acting strange and I don’t think he’s been feeling well. ”  
You nod, taking note of the slight fear and embarrassment in his voice. “I will. Don’t worry. He’ll have a ton of strong soldiers around him today. We’ll make it through.”

He seems to relax a bit and you see a smile start to form and you can’t help but smile back. It was nice to see the relationships develop between fellow soldiers, especially in the scouts. Every expedition brought new deaths, and many put up walls to avoid the pain of losing people that meant everything to them. Being a long time survivor in the scouts was an odd feeling. With every year you felt stronger, like you could go on expeditions and come out alive. But you also had to watch as countless soldiers died around you, sometimes within reach. It’s hard to imagine how the veteran soldiers like Erwin, Hange, and Levi coped with all of the loss. 

You start making your way to the stables where the final preparations were being made and find Petra. Her eyes light up when she sees you, and she starts to run over, throwing her arms around you.

“Y/N!! First expedition together! We’re finally on the same squad!”  
You laugh and hug her back tightly. “Can’t say I’m super excited” you say, cheerfully joking, but also with a hint of truth. 

As you look over Petra’s shoulder, you see Levi tending to his horse. The black stallion is eating out of his hand and nuzzling it. The sight warms your heart as you realize his longest partner might be his steed. While he runs his hand across the horse’s mane, he looks up and catches your eye, watching as you and Petra embrace. You avert your gaze and pull away from Petra.

“Let’s get ready. We only have a few minutes before we leave.”

The scouting legion finishes preparations and starts to make its way toward the Shiganshina gate. As you pass through the gates of Wall Rose, memories of your first day of training come flooding back. You’ve sent letters to your family along with some checks and gotten replies, but hadn’t had enough time to visit them. Most of the expeditions had been through the Stohll district gates to the East of Shiganshina, so you hadn’t been close to your hometown since the day you left. As you pass through Trost and make your way into Shiganshina, you begin looking around for your family. They surely would have heard about the scouts passing through town today. The Shiganshina gate comes into view, and you feel yourself slightly tugging on the reins of your horse, subtly signaling it to drop its pace. As you’re about to give up on finding your family, you hear a child giggling and crying out and turn your head.

Your eyes meet your mother’s and then settles on the child in her arms. Your little sister. The letters had described how adorable and energetic she was, but your heart melts at the sight of her. You hold back on your instinct to get off the horse and run towards your family. Instead, you smile and wave at them before forcing yourself to look forward and fixing your eyes on the Shiganshina gates. As the gates open, the front line begins to charge their horses forward. As you order your own horse to pick up the pace, the fresh wind from outside whips past you, tousling your hair and lifting up your cape. The sounds that were bouncing around in the walls immediately disperse, mixing with the sound of hooves on grass and birds chirping in the skies above. Inhaling the fresh air, you spare a glance around to your teammates. Petra is squinting up at the sky, Oluo is beside her, eyes fixed on her calm expression. Eld is focused on the Captain, who charges in front of everyone else, his cape billowing behind him. The wings on his back give you a sense of comfort as you follow closely behind him. 

The feeling of peace is interrupted immediately as you see a red flare shoot up from your left. A green flare quickly follows as the formation quickly shifts to the right and continues forward. You hear the large hammering footsteps to the left as the scouts maneuver around the titan. Only a few seconds after, a black flare shoots up from the right side of the formation, signaling an abnormal. The mood of the entire team shifts as every member braces themselves for an encounter with a titan. 

“15 meter abnormal heading towards the center of formation!”

A sudden crash behind you startles you and your horse. As you try to regain control of your steed, the abnormal jumps over your squad, casting a dark shadow over everybody in it. You glance up to make sure it isn’t landing near you, and swerve your horse to avoid being crushed. Petra immediately launches off her horse and attaches the hooks of her ODM gear to the abnormal’s shoulders, propelling herself forward and into the air. She uses this momentum to slice through the abnormal’s back, causing it to crash into the ground and dig its elbows into the dirt. Oluo immediately follows up by slashing through the now prone titan’s neck, finishing the job as the carcass goes up in steam. 

You grab a hold of Petra’s horse and guide it back to her as she hops on and settles back into formation. Before you are able to congratulate her on another assist, a red flare goes up from slightly behind you, where Hange’s squad is. Immediately, your eyes dart around the formation to find Ivan. When you do, it becomes evident why Dieter had asked you to keep an eye on him. Ivan looks feverish and tired on his horse. Though the titan is fairly far, you notice that Erwin is not giving commands to shift formations. Judging by the titan’s smaller physique and current pace, it would probably run into Hange’s squad. You begin to veer yourself closer to Ivan, making good on your promise to Dieter to keep a closer eye on him. In a split second you decide to go after the titan yourself to get it over with. 

You adjust yourself on your horse and aim towards the titan’s neck. As you shoot forward, the wires of your equipment swing around its neck, taking your body with it. You increase pressure in your ODM gear and propel yourself forward, slicing cleanly through the titan’s neck, immediately taking it down. You quickly jump back on your horse and speed back towards your position behind Levi. 

“Why didn’t you let somebody else handle that one?” Levi asks, keeping his face forward the entire time.  
“I don’t think Ivan’s feeling well, Captain.”  
“That’s not your responsibility. Focus on our squad and our equipment.”  
“Yes sir.” you reply, disappointed that your solo kill was scolded, rather than praised. 

You knew that this was expected of Levi’s squad and that the mission was always prioritized over titan kills. As the formation continues running forward, various squads encounter titans around you. As Levi commanded, you keep yourself focused on your own squad and the equipment. Eventually Erwin signals the formation to halt near a forest. The various squads are instructed to patrol the close vicinity and refuel as needed while the cartographers take note of the titan territory. 

Walking over to the supply cart, you begin to gather fuel for your squad. You help each of them out, starting with Petra who congratulates you on your titan kill, reassuring you that Levi was probably proud of you. Oluo quickly steps in, repeating Levi’s speech about putting the squad first. Petra rolls her eyes.

“Oluo, why do you always repeat what the Captain says?”  
“Because he’s right.”  
“It’s annoying..hearing the same thing over and over.”  
“I’m saying it in my own way.”  
You shove the fuel in Oluo’s arms. “I’m sure you can refill this yourself. I’m going to get more for Eld and Levi.”

After grabbing more canisters of fuel, you start walking over to Eld, who had expended most of it on his way here. As you refuel his ODM gear, he gestures over to Oluo and Petra, still bickering. 

“You’ve known Petra a while right?”  
“Since the beginning of training.”  
“Does she like Levi?”  
You pause for a second, unable to think of how to respond in a way that wouldn’t expose your friend. “He’s a good captain."  
“Oh come on. Surely she thinks of him as more than that? Oluo gets pretty jealous.”  
You look up at him, surprised. “So that’s what this is about? Oluo likes Petra?”  
“I didn’t say that.”  
“You may as well have.”  
“Ah, well she probably knows anyway. He’s always trying to act like Levi around her.”  
“It’s impossible to measure up to him.”  
“I mean, he’s pretty short.”

At that, your head shoots up, immediately looking around for him. You actually start to sweat at the thought of Levi overhearing the conversation. Eld starts laughing, and you can’t help but crack a smile. According to Petra, Eld makes these jokes all the time, including when Levi is around. It’s actually surprising that he hasn’t had the beating of his life yet. You hand his ODM gear back to him and start walking over to Levi when you feel the ground rumbling slightly. Levi stiffens immediately and commands all squads to go on top of the trees. Hundreds of wires shoot up immediately as the scouts get to higher ground, but you see one sitting propped up against a tree. Ivan’s face is beaded with sweat and redder than it was before. You run over to him, lightly slapping his face.

“Ivan! You need to get up. Get to the top of the trees!”

His eyes flutter open and widen as the situation registers in his head. You help him up, and he thanks you, firing his hooks towards the tops of the trees to join the rest of his squad. As you aim your hooks and fire to follow, the hook lands near your squad. When you push the trigger to release gas, it hisses weakly and propels you only a few meters into the air. You manage to remain on the side of the tree, but are only 10 meters away from the ground. Shit. Out of gas. You hadn’t been able to refuel since you were helping everybody else. From your position 10 meters up from the ground, you see a hoard of titans running towards you. Roughly 2 15 meter titans, and 3 10 meter titans. All of which could get to you. 

In a split second you see something charging at you from your right. You turn and flinch as it makes contact with you, knocking the air out of you and lifting you up higher into the trees. The green cape trails behind you and you hear Levi’s voice in your ear.

“You’re an idiot. You didn’t think to refuel for yourself first?”

As the two of you soar up, you wrap your own arm around him, unintentionally pressing your hand against his hard muscular back. You distract yourself from thinking about him by focusing on the landing and turn your head in the direction you are being propelled, your face so close to him that your nose brushes against his neck slightly as you do so. Levi stops on a tall, sturdy branch and lets go of you abruptly. Without the wind and the environment moving around you, the only thing you feel moving becomes your heart. It beats wildly in your chest, pumping more and more blood to your face. You turn away slightly, letting your hair fall into your face.

“Thank you.”  
“I told you that Ivan is not your responsibility. That was an order.”  
“Wouldn’t you have done the same?”  
“Yes, but there’s a clear difference between me and you. You can barely kill one titan.”

Levi kicks off the branch of the tree and soars down towards the five giants that crowd around the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things started picking up in this chapter and will continue to do so in the next few chapters! I'll be updating in about a week and I would say the next chapter is probably going to peak with emotional levels. Although I'm mostly writing this because I can't sleep without thinking of stories like this and I wanted to write it down, I also really hope anybody reading it enjoys it and finds happiness here when the canon story isn't being as kind


End file.
